A good nights sleep is something we all need, and most adults need between six and nine hours of sleep per night. Here are 9 ways to keep you and your bedroom cooler in the warmer months.
You’re more likely to associate Great Britain with cups of tea, cucumber sandwiches, or David Beckham than with hot weather, but at the peak of summer, those temperatures can creep up to the point where humidity becomes uncomfortable. Especially when you’re trying to sleep, and an ice lolly really can’t help with that.
Most adults need between six and nine hours of sleep per night, so if the sticky heat is keeping you from slumber, your ability to function during the day can be compromised. Lack of sleep also affects hormone balance, appetite, and the immune system. H. Craig Heller, PhD, professor of biology at Stanford University has explained that when you go to sleep, your ‘set point’ for body temperature falls. If your room is too hot, it becomes more difficult for your body to sleep and more likely that you’ll wake up during the night.
Here are 9 ideas you can use to keep you and your bedroom cooler in the warmer months and make those summer nights more bearable.
1. Take a cold(ish) shower
These aren’t just for refreshing mornings. Taking a lukewarm shower before you hit the sheets will bring down your core body temperature, making it easier to reach the land of dreams. (It’ll also get rid of the layer of sweat you’ll have developed during the day…)
2. Keep your curtains shut when the sun’s shining
If you draw the blinds or curtains to stop the sun streaming in through the windows during the day, you’ll keep your bedroom cooler into the evening. If it’s safe to open all your windows, this is ideal for letting a breeze shimmy through your home.
3. Use thin cotton sheets
Cotton is far more breathable than nylon, polyester or satin, which means the air is able to move around the bed and the room more easily. It also means that when you sweat – which you will, no matter how hot you are – the moisture is absorbed into the sheet instead of being left as a sticky layer on the top. (Fun and disgusting fact: we release an average of 200 ml of sweat every single night!)
4. Get the fan out the loft, or from under the bed
Wherever it’s hiding, plugging in a simple fan is an easy way to take the bedroom temperature down a notch. Although, technically, it just moves the warm air around, it will increase the chances of your sweat evaporating (which is a good thing).
5. Raid the freezer
Here’s something a little more creative. Instead of filling a hot water bottle with hot water, fill it with cold and pop it in the freezer. Then you’ll have a nice cool bedtime companion to cuddle.
6. Ditch the duvet
Even a low-tog duvet can be too much for balmy nights. Try using just the duvet cover or a thin sheet instead to keep that airflow going and avoid sticky discomfort.
7. Keep lights, electronic devices, and the cooker off
Surprise surprise, these all give off unwanted heat. Take advantage of the naturally lighter evenings, try to keep screens switched off, and leave cooking a casserole to the winter. You can also save money while you’re at it.
8. Lower your bed
We all know hot air rises, so the lower your bed, the cooler it will be. Try moving the mattress to the floor, getting a futon for the summer, or even attempt to sleep in a hammock. If the inside is just too much, you could always pitch a tent in the garden.
9. Perhaps the most obvious of all – air conditioning!
It’s effective, but expensive, so you may want to experiment with a few of the above ideas before you splash out.
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anne wallwin says
we keep the blinds shut up stairs and open the windows slightly. You still get a cool breed but without the hot sun.
Jane Taylor says
Oh, it gets so humid sometimes doesn’t it? I’m a right ‘Goldilocks’ too. I don’t like being too hot or too cold, but I also don’t like sleeping without a sheet over me (I don’t like the dark!!! Not that a cover would defend me from what I think is in the dark!!)….Anyway, enough of my weird quirks.. We open the windows and draw the curtains on hot days and make sure there’s a flow of air through the room from bedroom to ensuite and out.
I really don’t like my feet being too hot in the summer so I sometimes bathe them in cold water before I go to bed…
This is like a confessional….’I am Jane and I have weird bedtime routines’…
Shushing…
Becky says
Sleeping with a ventilator is horrid int he summer way too ho so i have sleep with a fan focussed on my face all night!
Mike Gilbert says
Some really helpful ideas, never thought of it, thanks for sharing!
Molly says
Great tips, I tried most of them in my previous flat which was always roasting in the summer months – but I didn’t think of lowering the bed, that’s a good one!
Lara Moore says
These are such good ideas – I would have never thought of putting a hot water bottle in the freezer!
-L
Mads says
Great tips! My husband is forever hot and I’m forever cold but we’ll have to give some of these a try!